Exercise question

[Shel]

In the past year I've lost 85 pounds thru healthy choices, portion control & walking. Recently I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis & am unable to walk. I bought a recumbent bike & have worked up to 15 minute rides at a time. My question is this - which is better, riding once a day for half an hour, or two or three times a day for 10 - 15 minute increments?

Thanks!

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

I was told be a trainer (work had a Biggest Loser contest) that it doesn't matter if the exercise is all in one session or broken into smaller sessions. It's the exercising that counts, no matter if it's all at once or throughout the day for shorter durations.

 

[zumbergc]

have you tried icing the bottom of your foot.

Doing lots of calf stretches.
rolling the bottom of your foot on a tennis ball first things, middle and end of day. to help stretch out those ligaments.

can't write more cat causing typing issues.

 

[FireDancer]

Some of it depends on how hard you are cycling. I run more than cycle but get out on the bike for cross training whenever I can. If you pump a high gear and make sure not to freewheel you are not only burning calories but building leg muscles. This can also be done on a stationary bike if you make sure the resistance is cranked up as close to the maximum as you can handle.

What you are doing is braking down the muscle fibers in your legs. Your body has to spend calories and effort to rebuild these muscles making them stronger. This rebuilding uses calories and keeps you burning calories after the exercise session has stopped. Your body also expels more calories per hour on a pound of muscle than on a pound of fat so your basal metabolic rate goes up. Light weight training is also very good at maximizing this effect. This means you burn more calories just existing as your body fat % goes down and lean muscle goes up.

I would suggest going hard on the bike (higher resistance) for shorter time periods to maximize this effect. The only accurate way to calculate how many calories you are burning is to get a bike that will measure wattage. You will burn approximately 350 calories per hour at 100 watts. 100 watts is a pretty hard cadence on a bike.

You will also always burn more calories out on the road as opposed to on a stationary bike for the same effort because of the rolling resistance of the road.

Come on over to the WISH boards, there is a lot of good information on cycling, running, and just about everything else health related. Someone there might even have some advice on dealing with that plantar fasciitis and getting you running if that is your goal. Often time having your gait analyzed and corrected and getting the right shoes on you will take care of fp...that and a little stretching and ice of course.

 

[John VN]

In the past year I've lost 85 pounds thru healthy choices, portion control & walking. Recently I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis & am unable to walk. I bought a recumbent bike & have worked up to 15 minute rides at a time. My question is this - which is better, riding once a day for half an hour, or two or three times a day for 10 - 15 minute increments?

Thanks!

Once a day will allow you to warm up then exercise and then cool down. You can do a 5 minute warm up then 20 minutes of varying workout and then 5 minutes to cool down. Using a lower gear to spin the cranks faster will lessen the strain on your knees thus minimizing the damage that can easily be caused by pushing too high of a gear. A higher cadence will also provide a better cardio workout again while minimizing knee strain. I mention this from personal experience.

Off to a 50 mile bike ride a little later today.

 

[JMD]

The short answer is do it all at once.

 

[Hercules10]

In the past year I've lost 85 pounds thru healthy choices, portion control & walking.

First of all....

I excercise several times a day. Hour in the morning (the 'biggie') then several 15-30 min bursts. Mostly I do these bursts when I get the munchies. Sweating really helps control the cravings for me.

Have you thought of joining a gym or your local recreation center? They might have some other options that will not include walking.

 

[jam217]

Have you thought about swimming? That will give you a great workout in a short amount of time.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I was told be a trainer (work had a Biggest Loser contest) that it doesn't matter if the exercise is all in one session or broken into smaller sessions. It's the exercising that counts, no matter if it's all at once or throughout the day for shorter durations.

I've heard that too.

And congratulations on the weight loss!!! Good for you!